The English copy of Johan Green’s funeral handbook is hot off the press and ready to order. I’m busy reading my copy and can’t put it down, it is crammed full of facts and interesting information, not one word is wasted. For those who haven’t heard, it covers many aspects of death including the following:

What qualifies as a natural death or an unnatural death?
Do you require the services of an undertaker for funeral arrangements?
What procedures are to be followed regarding funeral arrangements?
Different options for ashes
Why do graves subside?
Exhumation, import and export of human remains
Analysis of costs
Irregularities
Burial of executed persons
Where the unmarked grave of Daisy de Melker lies…

This book is long overdue, its an absolute must. It’s a funeral handbook that every family needs to have, it is also a funeral reference book for anyone interested in a career in the funeral industry. Its a fascinating read and relevant to everyone in South Africa. There are limited copies, so don’t delay.

10 Responses to “When death enters your home: A practical guide”

I have been reading Johan Green’s book, and I have come across a few things that I don’t agree with/feel are wrong:-
Pg 33 – as far as I am aware, as long as the next-of-kin are aware that the deceased wished to be cremated, and did not express otherwise, they can request the deceased to be cremated, without a written request from the deceased.

Pg 45 & 46 – when an exhumation is done, what remains are found depends on a number of factors, such as the state of the water table, the soil conditions, the size of the deceased, the coffin used, the depth of the grave, rainfall etc. You can open two graves right next to each other, and find nothing but discoloured soil in one, but a complete skeleton in the other.

Pg 63 & 64 – I have had a number of people asking the same question – why does my policy not cover the funeral? The reply we get back from the underwriters is that when the old policies were sold, there wasn’t inflation as it is today. The underwriters see the funeral policy in much the same light as they see your car insurance. If you take an insurance policy out today, and tomorrow have a car accident and die, they will pay out the sum assured with you only having paid one premium. It is a risk that both sides take. When I worked at a large funeral company, we figured out that it would be financially better to take a traditional funeral policy (one that increases in value) before the age of 53, but after that age, rather take a group scheme. Either way, it is much better to have any funeral policy than not to have one. The burden on the family is lifted enormously when they don’t have to look for R20000 for the funeral. The policy holder may make use of any funeral director, but the funeral director doesn’t HAVE TO accept the policy. Some insurance companies will only pay the proceeds to the family, in which case the funeral will have to be paid, and then the family claims the money back.

Pg 66 – I think that funeral directors do not advertise their prices because there is such a variety of options that you cannot say a funeral will cost R15000. What if the family wants a limousine, or R5000 worth of flowers?

Pg67 – A very important part of the funeral director’s service has been left out – that of preparing the deceased in the coffin.

Pg 68 – Funeral directors can obtain the schedule D for the cremation, but the actual post mortem report will only be given to the family by the investigating officer when it is ready, which could take 8 months

Pg 71 – Even if a new reserved grave is to be opened, a reopening document is required. In Johannesburg, you will have to have an affidavit done at the police station saying that you have the authority to have that specific grave reopened.

pg 72 & 75 – once the ambulance has been called and they are satisfied that the person died of natural causes, they will issue a DECLARATION OF DEATH. This is not a BI1663, AND CANNOT BE USED TO REGISTER THE DEATH. Only a doctor, or a registered nurse can issue a BI1663.

Pg 75 – the cost of a pamphlet is nowhere near R2, except if you are willing to accept photostats done on bond paper. What is offered nowdays is full colour prints on 260gsm board, at a cost of R15 per copy. The cost of a funeral notice varies between R500 and R750, depending on which newspaper it is placed in (these prices are for Johannesburg, obviously will vary from area to area.)

Pg77 – Who will prepare the deceased in the coffin? It is extremely traumatic for the family to have to do that. And do they know how to ensure the eyes and the mouth stay closed? DON’T THINK SO. The government or hospital mortuaries normally do not allow coffining to be done on their premises.

Pg 79 – There is no way that I can buy a DECENT casket from a manufacturer for R5300. Obviously, if you are willing to settle for an inferior item, then you may get one cheaper. But what happens if the floor of the casket breaks? A reputable funeral director will only sell a product that he trusts, to ensure that the family has peace of mind

Pg119 – your question is how do some funeral directors charge less that others, and still make a profit. This is done in various ways – they may be brokers, utilizing other funeral director’s infrastructure so they don’t have overheads: they skimp on expenditure, so they have outdated vehicles that break down because they aren’t serviced, their fridges break down and cannot be repaired due to lack of funds; indifferent staff are employed, meaning your deceased family member isn’t treated properly………………..YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

Pg 131 – you don’t need to embalm a deceased for travel inside South Africa, but if the journey is to be a long one, I would suggest that it be done.

Whilst I believe that it is every families’ prerogative to handle the situation as they see fit, I cannot see that any family member would want to put themselves through the trauma of running around sorting out mortuaries, registration of death, putting dad in a coffin, taking him to the cemetery in a bakkie. If you ask around, there are reputable funeral directors who are willing to assist those who need it.

I do understand that there are those who cannot afford to pay out R20 000 tomorrow for a funeral, so, please, take out a policy with a reputable insurance company, like Hollard or Metropolitan, so you have the funds available. You don’t have to go overboard on caskets and limos and flowers to have a good funeral – it’s those personal touches, like the special perfume or after shave you give us to put on the deceased, the toolbox you put on the coffin because he liked working on cars, the grandchildren’s drawings that are on the brochure. Those are the things that make a memorable funeral, not an expensive casket that is going to be destroyed.

This is wonderful feedback and much needed in order to see both sides. Your point about ensuring that the deceased is well prepared and taken care of in the ‘coffining’ process is of the utmost importance.

Whoever feels they can handle a funeral without a funeral director is in for a (not so pleasant) surprise. While it is important to be a good consumer and be aware of comparitive prices as one does with other purchases. The reality is, dealing with the deceased requires an experienced hand and is not for the feint hearted.

The professional and compassionate assistence that our funeral directors provide is so valuable to our society and worth EVERY penny!

I am excited to read that people are buying my book.Thus far, only one reader responded and disagreed on certain points. Every person has his/her democratic right to disagree or criticise, which i gladly accept. I made it clear in my book that the contents can be of great value to people, especially those who don’t have an intimate knowledge about cemeteries/funerals and crematoria.It was also put clearly, that my intent was, not to discredit any funeral director or the funeral business and that what i have stated, i have people and documentation as proof thereof.

The reader said in his reply, it is not neccessary to state in a will that it is the wish of an person to be cremated:
I explained on page 12 regarding legislation, that every municipality in South Africa has a set of burial and cremation by-laws at its disposal which are published in a government gazette. The City Council of Tshwane in Pretoria was the first municipality in South Africa to include in their by-laws: “The wish of a person to be cremated, MUST be included in a will or codicil and other municipalities also made this inclusion into their by-laws.” Many people raised their concerns and objection to a cremation of an family member in the past, and the municipality did not want to get involved into peoples, private court cases.On page 98 on the appendix A form, (2a), the following question must be answered by the applicant:” The deceased has left a written document concerning the manner of disposal of his/her remains, NAMELY”: and at 2(b),on the same page, the following question must be answered by the applicant for the cremation: “The deceased did not leave a written document concerning the manner of disposal of his/her remains”, and on page 99, 5 (a), the following questions are asked to the applicant : No close relative of the deceased expressed any objection to the proposed cremation, and 5 (b), A close relative of the deceased voiced an objection to the proposed cremation on grounds of:
The appendix A,B,C,D and E forms are made available by the municipalities of South Africa and the contents are mainly the same with the exception of the names of the municipalities on their forms. I have seen documentation of many other countries and the contents of the forms are basically the same.
On page 39, 11.9: of my book i stated that regulation 15(1) of ordinance 18 of 1965 reads as follows: “medical referees may not sanction any cremation: (a) where the deceased failed to leave a written document, indicating that his/her remains must be cremated; or ………………………………………………………….

The municipality by-laws and the national ordinance of 1965 is thus very CLEAR regarding legislation, that the neccessary wish MUST be included in a will, codicil or statement made in the presence of a Justice of Peace, or a Commissioner of Oaths. I also stated in my book that there is a SERIOUS lack of proper legistation regarding funerals and cremations.

I must admit, I am entirely unfamiliar with the laws regarding cremation, so I really ought not to comment. Having said that, as far as I am aware, as norms in society change with time, certain things in the law become relaxed in practical application. It is only when someone challenges the application of these laws and a case goes to the consitutional court or some higher authority where the laws then become updated and the statutes rewritten to reflect the current socially accepted norms.

I have noticed in the last few years that the rule of ‘no jay walking’ being allowed on our streets, used to be enforced by cops with spot fines handed out, yet this law seems to have become relaxed as many beggars walk along the road lines amongst the traffic and metro police do not interfere with their movements. I am pretty sure that the law against jay walking still exists on paper, but the trends in society have changed.

In the past, cremation had various religious implications which have changed over time as the benefits of cremation have been realized and it has become a more accepted and in fact a highly sought after method of disposing of human remains. I do not know for sure, but I imagine that it is probably still contained unchanged within the municipal bylaws, but in practice, the pressure from the current norms in society demand that the bylaws become relaxed until they ultimately get re-written.

A reader disagreed or commented on the contents written in my book, “When death enters your home – A Practical Guide” on pages 45 and 46.
He said: ” When an exhumation is done, what remains are found, depends on a number factors, such as the state of the watertable, the soil conditions, the size of the deceased, the coffin used, the depth of the grave, rainfall etc. You can open two graves right next to each other, and find nothing but discoloured soil in one, but a complete skeleton in the other.”

Although not included in my book , i fully agree on the comment that the state of the watertable and rainfall seriously effects the ash to ash process. The acid in soil has a huge effect on the process, starting with the coffin at first. Cemetries in South Africa and abroad have basically the same grave sizes, where two people can be interned, one on top of the other and the depth only differs for instance in Pretoria, where people may be buried in a “berm” grave which makes provision for three people. The depth of the grave play no part in the process as well as the size of the deceased. It is not yet proved and is thus only speculation. Regarding the statement, that when two graves are opened next to each other, in one, found nothing, and the other grave a skeleton, i wish to comment and explain the following: All the information recorded in my book is based on physical evidence and my personal activity in exhumations over a period of 26 years.It is a Jewish religion custom to ONLY, bury one person in a grave.
I witnessed an exhumation in the Rebecca Street cemetery in Pretoria, where a mother and her son was exhumed, laying next to each other in graves next to each other. The remains were to go to Israel for reburial. Complete skeletons were found. It is impossible that the nature could perform a different action to two deceased persons laying next to each other, and other readers can form their own opinion.

I sort of agree with Johan re the application for cremation. The schedule A is actually a request, given before a commissioner of oaths, for the cremation, whilst at the same time confirming that as far as the family is aware, there was no request for any other method of disposition other than cremation.

I still stand by my comment that, until the grave is opened at the time of the exhumation, we have no idea what remains will be found, and no two graves have to reveal similar remains

Thankyou to those readers who replied by e-mail and telephonically to my explanation in a reply to a reader, that it is legislation, to state in a legal document, it is their wish to be cremated. The lengthy and clear explanation with refferral to the municipalities documents recorded in the book were well understood. I am so happy that the info given in my book serves it purpose.